Petition against organizing the Epiphany cross-swimming event at Lake Snježnica

(Patria) - An informal group of citizens in Teočak has organized a petition against organizing the Epiphany cross-swimming event at Lake Sniježnica. The petition will be submitted to the municipality of Teočak and the Ministry of Interior of Tuzla Canton.

Last year, on the feast of Epiphany, a group of young men, with the support of the Church Municipality and the local community of Priboj, organized a cross-swimming event in the waters of Lake Snježnica, which was accompanied by nationalist music, symbols, and chants, reports boljatuzla.ba.

– The goal of the petition is to prevent the gathering at Lake Snježnica under the name of the Holy Cross. Last year, a 33-meter flag, a tricolor, was unfurled on the territory of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and they sang songs that symbolize suffering. Also, we do not want a repeat of the situations from BiH cities that marked Orthodox Christmas – said Amel Hasanović, a councilor in the Teočak Municipal Council and one of the organizers of the petition signing.

From this municipality, on July 14, 1992, 68 civilians were executed, among them Amel's father and two uncles. The group of young people from Teočak believes that it is not the time to allow the abuse of religion to spread hatred and nationalism, and therefore they are determined to seek a reaction from institutions in this way.